Jordan Ayew makes Sheffield United debut in late Wolves defeat

Ghana captain Jordan Ayew made his first appearance for Sheffield United as the Blades suffered a dramatic 1-0 home defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Championship on Sunday.

The 35-year-old forward, who recently joined the club on a free transfer after his contract with Leicester City expired, came on in the second half as manager Chris Wilder introduced him to help Sheffield United find a breakthrough.

Ayew replaced Ben Brereton Díaz and quickly looked to make an impact, testing the Wolves defence with an effort shortly after coming on.

The Blades had matched their visitors for much of the contest and appeared set to earn a point from an evenly contested encounter at Bramall Lane.

However, Wolves struck a decisive blow in the 90th minute when substitute Raúl Jiménez found the net to snatch all three points.

The goal arrived after Kieran Trippier delivered a dangerous ball into the area from the right. Tommy Doyle's attempt took a fortunate deflection into the path of Jiménez, who reacted quickest to finish from close range.

The late setback was a disappointing outcome for Sheffield United, who were looking to build on their midweek victory over Blackburn Rovers.

Wilder made four changes to the side that started that win, bringing in Mark McGuinness, Ollie Arblaster, Patrick Bamford and Kalvin Phillips. At the same time, Ayew was named among the substitutes before being called upon after the interval.

Despite the defeat, his debut offered Sheffield United supporters a first glimpse of the experience and leadership he could bring as the club targets promotion this season.

Ayew will now hope to build on his maiden appearance and push for a place in Wilder's starting line-up ahead of the Blades' next Championship fixture.